September Wind (9 page)

             
Emily couldn’t help but smile. Then her aunt turned serious again.

             
“
I’m ashamed to admit it,” Francine said, “always have been, but I think we’re all a bunch of alcoholics. Steven not so much, but all of us, off on binges far too often.”

             
They both fell silent as the winds picked up, beating against the door, and howling around the molds of the windows.

             
Emily was stunned by her aunt’s confession.

             
“
I’ll tell you what,” Francine said, stiffly, “there’s nothing more irritating than a hangover when you’ve got a ton of work to do.” She closed her eyes, her brow pinched.               “Why I’ve come to my senses now, I’m not sure. But I’m glad I have.”

             
“
Don’t worry, Aunt Francine. I did fine.”

             
“
Fine? You say you did fine? You’ve been treated no better’n a slave.

             
“
You know, Emily. My father, he was a drunk, even more of a drunk after coming home from the war. I remember the ranting, and then the glum silences during hangovers that lasted for days. Best thing for you is to never start the booze in the first place. I should’ve taken my mother’s advice on that subject myself.”

             
Emily had turned, and was clutching the arm of the couch. She felt warmed to the bone, her heart singing, beating the way it was solid like when you know you belong, like how she felt with Haity, and Daniel. “I won’t start, I promise. But… Aunt Francine. I-I didn’t know that you…”

             
“
You mean drink like a fish? Don’t recall is more like it. Although I’m sure as time passes, some things’ll stir your memory. I know, I know. You’re probably asking yourself, why blurt this out now.” She laughed, ruefully. “Who knows, maybe it’s me doing the asking. Or maybe it’s that God your grandmother spoke of now and then knocking on my crumbling door.” She tapped her heart with her knuckles. “Whatever it is, I’ve decided to turn a new leaf and give you some help. Ha! I guess it’s better late than never.”

             
“
You’re helping me? With what?”

             
Francine wiped her nose and dropped the wad of tissue into a brown grocery sack. She shifted around and finally settled on her side with her head resting on an elbow, dropping her gaze to Emily. “My guess is that you’re gonna want to leave soon.”

             
Emily crossed her arms over her chest, quivering with excitement.

             
“
Of course,” Francine continued, “knowing my brother, he won’t like it. And to be honest, I’ll be surprised if he lets you go at all.”

             
“
Grandfather, let me go? I’m sure he won’t.”

             
“
Gracious Aunt Matilda, how would he ever pay someone else for the work you do around there?” Aunt Francine pointed a finger at her. “But don’t let that stop you. Get out of there, the sooner the better.”

             
Emily sat up. “I’m surprised you’re telling me to…”

             
“
Well, believe it. And believe me when I tell you to plan ahead. The best way out of here will be for you to take a bus from Watseka to Chicago. From Chicago you can go anywhere you like. Whatever you do, you’re going to need some funds. I don’t have much cash to speak of, but I’m giving you a silver bar I’ve got stashed away. Suppose to have been for retirement.”

             
“
Aunt Francine. I-I don’t know what to say.”

             
“
There’s no need to say anything. As far as I’m concerned, you earned it.

             
“
There would’ve been four silver pieces. That’s if Carl, my dear deceased husband hadn’t misplaced three of them, or who knows what. They disappeared nevertheless.”

             
“
How do you think they disappeared?”

             
“
I’m sure it was him and your grandfather… well mostly Carl’s doing, I suppose. But Rupert didn’t help any. Nevertheless, those two were quite a pair back then. I warned your uncle more than once that it was either me or the gambling.”

             
“
You mean you were going to leave him?”

             
“
Auh, I’m not sure I would’ve gone through with it or not. Nevertheless, about a week before he died, the two of them went out to a poker game. Thought they were foolin’ me. Ha. You should’ve heard ’em carry on when they showed up around six the next morning. I stuck my head out the window and tried to hear what they were saying, but all I could tell was supposedly someone won the jackpot.”

             
Francine squinted and scratched her head with a long thin finger. “Whoever it was, it sure wasn’t them. Anyway, the silver bar’s just been sitting up in the attic collecting dust. You’ll find it on top of the last rafter to your right, way down at the end.”

             
“
Are you sure?”

             
“
Well, I sure won’t need it. There’s a chest nearby. Climb up on that and you’ll be able to reach the rafter. I had to use a ladder myself. Oh, and make sure to bring a flashlight with some good batteries. Mine are all dead. I doubt I’ll be around long enough to get more.”

             
“
Don’t say that.”

             
Aunt Francine repositioned her head for a better look at her niece. “Listen, Emily, I’m not sure why I haven’t told you this before, but I’ve been holding onto something of yours. It’s, uhm... it’s a necklace.”

             
“
A necklace? Of mine?”

             
“
It’s yours all right, and it’s not just any necklace, mind you. You see, at one time, it belonged to your great-great-great grandmother. She received it back in the eighteen hundreds from some wealthy lord. The legend goes that the two carried on an illicit love affair.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Anyway, whether that’s true or not is beside the point. The important thing is that it’s part of your heritage. I put the velvet necklace box inside a brown box and placed it next to the silver bar.”

Emily was shocked at her aunt’s revelations. She attempted to tell her how grateful she was, but the woman was in a hurry to confess everything. It was as if she were afraid her time would run out before she had a chance to finish.

“
One of the last things your grandmother said to me was that if anything ever happened to her, she wanted you to have the necklace. I left it sitting at the house for years in the back corner of your grandparent’s closet. I didn’t give it much thought. Then one day I was feeling sentimental or something, and I went over and picked it up. I planned to give it to you when you could comprehend its importance. I didn’t tell my brother for years, wasn’t even sure that he’d care. Then when I mentioned it to him, classic Rupert blew up for no good reason.” She began to cough again, sounding more ragged now.

             
“
Can I get you something?” Emily asked.

             
“
No, no, this drink is all I need.” She reached over, her hand trembling as she poured more whiskey into the cup, the tea long gone. Emily had noticed the tremors in the past. Now she knew why. She’d seen her grandfather’s hands shake too after a long night of drinking, but never put the two together until now.

             
“
Let me help you, Aunt Francine.” She made a move to get up.

             
“
Never mind. I have it. Ha, I’ve been doing it for years all by myself.” She set the bottle on the floor, took a drink, and settled back.

             
“
Now, where was I? Oh yes. So then one afternoon I came home after rabbit hunting and caught the old boy snooping under my bed.”

             
“
Oh no.” Emily giggled.

             
“
You laugh now. You should’ve been there. And boy, what a sight it was. There he was in perfect form with me pointing a gun at his backside. I said, ‘Get up, you old goat or I’ll shoot your blasted tail end off.’ He just about knocked himself out getting up. Didn’t make a peep though, just left rubbing his head. We haven’t discussed it since.”

             
“
Why would Grandfather want a necklace, anyway?”

             
“
Oh, who knows? Could be he was afraid you might use the necklace as a tool to leave him without a housekeeper. Whatever the reason, I’m sure he’s waiting for my demise before making another move. Ha, I think he’s scared of me. ’Course, he hasn’t seen me lately.”

Francine sank back into the pillow. “Mm. How ironic life is sometimes.”

              “
In what way?”

             
“
Oh, a slew of things that happened since… well, since your mother died.” Francine raised her head. “Lift your hand, young one. Let me see that ring of yours. I just noticed you were wearing it.”

             
Emily held out her hand revealing the sapphire ring.

             
“
Boy, that sure is pretty, isn’t it?” Francine lay back and smiled. “You know, I was just thinking the other day how excited your grandmother was when she brought home that ring for your mother. How sad she was when she realized it was missing, and then again, how excited she was when you found it. Where’d you find it again?”

             
“
Remember? It was under the tree outside my bedroom window.”

             
“
Oh, yes.”

             
Emily spread her fingers out, admiring the ring. “Grandmother told me to put it up in my room until my fingers grew into it. I pulled it out on my sixteenth birthday. Haven’t worn it since, until this morning.”

             
“
Oh, yes. I remember seeing it on you that day.”

             
“
You never said anything.”

             
“
Mmm, you know me.”

             
“
I hoped Grandfather would’ve forgotten about it. He might have, I’m not sure. Although when I was pouring him coffee that morning, his eyes landed on the ring. Before he could say anything, I told him you gave it to me.”

             
“
Speaking of birthdays, you’ll be eighteen soon, won’t you?”

             
“
Yep. September the fourteenth, three days after my mother’s birthday.”

             
“
Boy, it sure is hard to believe you’ll be eighteen. Time sure flies. Hmm.” Aunt Francine shook her head and smiled. “Your mother was a beautiful child. But you…” She stopped to gaze at her. “You Emily, you’re becoming more beautiful each time I see you. I was just thinking here the last few days, how you’ve blossomed into a beauty the likes of which I’ve never seen. I don’t expect that a mere click of the camera would even do you justice.”

Aunt Francine laid her head back and closed her eyes.

              Emily sat in silence, touched by the words and the memories, and by the change in her aunt. A few minutes passed before she looked up, alarmed at how still her aunt had become. She rolled onto her knees and leaned forward to make sure the old woman was still breathing. Reassured, but no less worried, she settled back onto the rug. “Please don’t leave me, Aunt Francine, not now.”

             
Minutes turned into hours as Emily read, stoked the fire, and took trips to the shed for more wood. Finally, the brutal winds died, leaving an eerie hum in the air and a lonely ache in her heart. She didn’t want this to end. She placed her head on the armrest of the couch and closed her eyes.

             
“
You know what?”

             
Emily bolted upright. “Oh, w-what, Aunt Francine?”

             
The old woman lowered her eyes to Emily’s. “Whatever reason he’s got for wanting that necklace is a mystery to me. But just don’t let him catch you with it.”

             
“
I won’t.”

             
“
And remember, no one but me and you know about the silver bar.”

             
Francine pondered her next words. “I’m glad I had a chance to talk to you, Emily. I was afraid I wouldn’t.” Her mouth turned at the corners, and then she lay back and closed her eyes.

             
“
Me, too, Aunt Francine. Me, too.” There was more Emily thought of saying, but she didn’t know how to sift through all the feelings she had stored for so long.